Amusement apparatus



- H. N. RIDGWAY AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed March 17. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AHys.

April 10, 1928.

H. N. RIDGWAY AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed March 17, 1923 2 Sneets-Sheet 2 lnvenTor 1 HeTbeTT N. Ridgwuy b yow MKM ATTys.

1 Patented Apr 10, 1928.

Q ERBERT nnInewAY, or wmasoamas iica smspg 1 I amusnmnn'r APPARATUS." l I Application fi1ed Maroh 17, 1923. "Serial No.*sa5 ,769.

-This, invention relates to amusement ap g I paratus" in the natureofia'chute or. runway and" it has for one of its objects'to provide a novel amusement apparatus of this type 5 6 in which the chute or runway is in the form of a longstrip'of 'metal'that is flexible lon-i I I I :nectedto the'supports at itse-nds andior" gitudinally and is' 'supported at its ends only at points which are a less distance apart -than the length of themetal strip so that J the latter will; hang in a sort of festoon.

Afmetalstrip of this construction and whichis thuesuspended does not have a fixed determinate shape .as'itwill giv'eor yield whenever weight is applied thereto; the weighted part moving downwardly and other parts-moving upwardly. Therefore, as a personmoves over the" strip whether it j bein the form or a chute or runway the;

person Iwilllbe depressed below its normal invention as applied to a chu'te'; I

Fig." 2 is an enlarged section on theline Fig. 4 is a section on theline Fig. 3

Fig. 5 shows the invention as arranged for arunway. a .My invention is applicable to an amuse 5 ment apparatus either in the nature of a chute or. a runway, the principal difference being that-when the device is embodied in a chute one end thereof will'be suspended" at apoint higher than theother end so. that persons can slidefdown the chute by gravity.

Referring'to Fig. l, which showsthe -de.--

vice as embodied in a chute, 1 indicates-a long strip of sheet metal' which is flexible longitudinally and which is supported or suspended at its ends 2 and 3only. -VVhere end 2 Willbe supported at a, higher level than the en-d3 andin the construction herein shown said end 2 is connected to andsup v has a hinge 8 secured thereto and by which it is secured to 'itssupport. Where thefideg;

- side walls should be provided so as to-pr Vent thepersons using thechutefro slid-" PQftiOn of the 'metal strip supporting the position and'other portions will be raised above their normal position so that as a per son progresses along the chute or" runway the I shape of, the latter is continually changing. -In 'the drawings "wherein If have illus trated a selected embodiment of my 'i 'nven-" tion, .Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the [bers 1.3 serve to protect the canvas fromwear and also make a smooth corner.

- which constitutesastop for persons sliding the lower end of the chute said lower end sliding down the chute has suficien't momen the device isin the nature of a chute one- I I tum to be carried clear to the bumperor pad.-

any 'suitable'abutment or support 17. The distance between the supporting pointsfland 3 is less than the-length of the flexible mem-' her I softhat fthe latter will assume, the curved shape illustrated inFig. 1;: i

The hute I'is preferably 'pivotally--"corrthis purpose each end. of the metal strip-1'3 vice is'used as a chute it isdesirablethat;

ing off the latter atthe-side'andione: form O'f Sld Q' walls is illustrated "in Fig. 25 This" I comprises'stripsi) of canvasor other flexible inaterialgwhich are secured at their ;,10we1;;

edges to"the"edges of themetal strip lj'as shown at 10 and at their upperedgesare" securedlto supporting cords. orfflexib'le members '11.. These flexible members 11 are I, yieldingly connect ed to supports 23at their ends through'the-mediumof springs '12. I If desired, I may employ.guard1or]pro f able material which cover the corners h e-3' tween theedgesofthe sheet 'metalmember.

lrandrthe sides9. ,These 'protectingjmem- I have illustratedin Fig. 1 a bumper or" padfll'at the lower end of the chute and u down the chute. In using thischute a person may slide downin sitting position'or in any otherdesired position and as the person r. I movcsdown the h the FOrtiOHIIPfIthBI I I I I chute'bearing the ght'of the person Will continually tend to be depressed so that-- when the person is half way down the chute fo'r instance the flexible member 'lfwill assume somewhat the position shown 'in the I dotted lines and as the" person approaches will sag under the weightof'the person and 1 3 at which the lower end or the'chute is'con- I nect'ed to the support. Hence if theperson I T The shape'Iof the bottom of the I i ee ,1 tecti'ng members 13. of leat r-o th II I I no: 7 I

thus. continually changing as the person moves over it.

.Another way in which the chute may be used is for a person to stand on the platform 5 and then jump 011? from the latter and land on the chute at a point below the upper end 2. The'flexibility of the chute makes this possible because the member 1 will yield as the person strikes it thus cushioning the tall and at the same time causing the member 1 to give'at this point.

In Fig. 3 another embodiment of the invention is shown wherein the flexible chute 1 is situated at the lower end of a fixed chute 1 1 which has abump or jump off 15 at its lower .end. In using, this embodiment of theinvention a person will slide down the chute l land as he passes over the jump ofi.

15 he willbe thrown into the air slightly and will land on the chute 1 at a point below'its upper end thus securing the same efiect as issecured when he jumps from the platform 5 onto the chute. In this embodiment of the invention the lower end of the chute lis open and leads onto a fixed plat form 30 so that persons sliding down the I chute 1 will slide across the platform 30 after they leave the chute 1.

} side 16.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in, Fig. 5 in which thetwo ends of the flexible member are supported at substantially the same level thus making a. runway. In this embodiment too the ends of the member 1 are pivotally supported by the abutments 18 as shown at 19, and the distance between the points 18 is less than the length of the member 1 so that it will hang in a sort of festoon. As a person tries to pass across the runway the latter will keep changing its shape because of its flexibility and will thus make it' difficult for a person to make the passage.

I claim: I

An amusement apparatus comprising two supports separated from each otherandone of which is situated at a higher levelthan the other, a long sheet of metal .fiexible longitudinally, and a pivotal connection be. tween each end of the sheet andthecorresponding support, said sheet having such a.

length relative to the distance between the supports that normally the end of thesheet attached to the lower support extends in a substantially horizontal direction and said sheet being sufiiciently flexible so that'when v a person sliding down the chute arrives-at:

the; horizontal portion thereof the weight of such person will cause the sheet to sag'below.

the lower pivotal connection so thatthe mochute will be checked by movement up the 7 upwardly inclined lower end of sheet.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification., 1

HERBERT N. RIDGWAY. 

